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Eastern Oregon

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107-576: Eastern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon . It is not an officially recognized geographic entity; thus, the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost counties in the state; in other contexts, it includes the entire area east of the Cascade Range . Cities in the basic eight-county definition include Baker City , Burns , Hermiston , Pendleton , Boardman , John Day , La Grande , and Ontario . Umatilla County

214-526: A Third Party candidate or wrote in a candidate. These numbers show a small shift towards the Democratic candidate when compared to the 2004 presidential election , in which 77.8% of Lake County voters voted for George W. Bush , while 20.5% voted for John Kerry , and 1.7% of voters either voted for a Third Party candidate or wrote in a candidate . [REDACTED] The economy in Lake County

321-566: A perlite mine and once included uranium mining, with processing to yellowcake being completed at the Lakeview Mining Company plant; the mines and mill required remediation. Several exploratory wells were dug for oil, but without success. A railroad line ships timber products and perlite to Burlington Northern's rail hub in Alturas, California . At one time the railway was the only County owned and operated rail line in

428-486: A tectonic plate that poses a continued threat of volcanic activity and earthquakes in the region. The most recent major activity was the 1700 Cascadia earthquake . Washington 's Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980 , an event visible from northern Oregon and affecting some areas there. The Columbia River, which forms much of Oregon's northern border, also played a major role in the region's geological evolution, as well as its economic and cultural development. The Columbia

535-581: A "g". Another possible source is the Spanish word oregano , which refers to a plant that grows in the southern part of the region. It is also possible that the area around the Columbia River was named after a stream in Spain called "Arroyo del Oregón", located in the province of Ciudad Real . Another early use of the name, spelled Ouragon , was by Major Robert Rogers in a 1765 petition to

642-447: A household in the county was $ 29,506, and the median income for a family was $ 36,182. Males had a median income of $ 29,454 versus $ 23,475 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 16,136. About 13.40% of families and 16.10% of the population were below the poverty line , including 20.40% of those under age 18 and 9.50% of those age 65 or over. Though Lake County is located in central Oregon, politically it falls in line with

749-460: A laundry facility, recreational activities, administration and various other functions. A unique feature of the prison is its use of natural geothermal sources deep inside the Earth. The geothermally heated water is pumped up through a well and piped into a heat exchange unit where the heat is then transferred to the prison's water-loop system. Once the heat has been transferred and the water has cooled,

856-510: A probate government was proposed. Doctor Ira Babcock of Jason Lee 's Methodist Mission was elected supreme judge. Babcock chaired two meetings in 1842 at Champoeg , (halfway between Lee's mission and Oregon City ), to discuss wolves and other animals of contemporary concern. These meetings were precursors to an all-citizen meeting in 1843, which instituted a provisional government headed by an executive committee made up of David Hill , Alanson Beers , and Joseph Gale . This government

963-622: A railroad in 1851 from St. Helens, through the Cornelius pass and across Washington County to the city of Lafayette, which was at the time the big town of the Willamette Valley. In December 1844, Oregon passed its first black exclusion law , which prohibited African Americans from entering the territory while simultaneously prohibiting slavery . Slave owners who brought their slaves with them were given three years before they were forced to free them. Any African Americans in

1070-586: A refuge from disputes over slavery, Oregon had a "whites only" clause in its original state Constitution. At the outbreak of the American Civil War , regular U.S. troops were withdrawn and sent east to aid the Union . Volunteer cavalry recruited in California were sent north to Oregon to keep peace and protect the populace. The First Oregon Cavalry served until June 1865. Beginning in the 1880s,

1177-576: A short growing season. Lumber and wood products are taken from the Fremont National Forest , Bureau of Land Management properties and private landholdings. The Collins Companies operates the last remaining mill in the area, the Lakeview sawmill, and is also a large landowner in the region. Over 78% of the land in Lake County is owned and managed by the federal and state government. The Lakeview area of Lake County also includes

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1284-431: A significant amount of snow in the winter. Some parts of Eastern Oregon receive fewer than 10 inches (250 mm) of rain yearly, classifying them as deserts . The driest parts are the southeast and the area near Redmond . This desert climate is in part due to a rain shadow effect caused by the Cascade Range . Pine and juniper forests cover 35% of Eastern Oregon, especially in the mountains east of Klamath Falls and in

1391-621: A total of eleven, had voted to join Idaho, a number that grew to 12 by June of 2023. On January 10, 2023, Senate Joint Memorial 2, also known as the Greater Idaho Bill, was sponsored in the Oregon Senate by politician Dennis Linthicum . Top 15 most populated Eastern Oregon cities (according to the 8-county definition): By extending the boundary outside to include neighboring counties, Eastern Oregon would include three of

1498-550: A água , Oregon. Yet another account, endorsed as the "most plausible explanation" in the book Oregon Geographic Names , was advanced by George R. Stewart in a 1944 article in American Speech . According to Stewart, the name came from an engraver's error in a French map published in the early 18th century, on which the Ouisiconsink (Wisconsin) River was spelled " Ouaricon-sint ", broken on two lines with

1605-622: Is a protected relic forest closely associated with the Christmas Valley Sand Dunes in northeastern Lake County. Fossil Lake is an area nearby where many fossils of prehistoric animals have been identified. Glass Buttes is an obsidian complex in the extreme northeast corner of the county. Crack in the Ground , northeast of Christmas Valley is a long fissure with ice in its floor year round. Big Hole , Hole-in-the-Ground , and Fort Rock are ancient maar craters in

1712-539: Is evidence supporting inhabitants in the region at least 15,000 years ago. By 8000 BC, there were settlements throughout the state, with populations concentrated along the lower Columbia River, in the western valleys, and around coastal estuaries. During the prehistoric period , the Willamette Valley region was flooded after the collapse of glacial dams from then Lake Missoula , located in what would later become Montana . These massive floods occurred during

1819-735: Is home to the Lakeview Hospital, and other regional health care facilities. It's also the location for The Warner Creek Correctional Facility opened in 2005 and is a 400-bed minimum security state prison. The prison employs an average of 110 correctional professionals and is located on a site comprising 91 acres (370,000 m ). The facility itself occupies less than 15 acres (61,000 m ) and utilizes approximately 117,000 sq ft (10,900 m ). of building space which includes areas for inmate housing, work and education programs, health services, food services, religious services, physical plant, warehouse and storage, vehicle maintenance,

1926-667: Is home to the largest population base in Eastern Oregon, accounting for 42% of the region's residents — more than twice that of the region’s second most populous, Malheur County . Hermiston, located in Umatilla County, is the largest city in the region, accounting for 10% of the population. Major industries include transportation/warehousing, timber, agriculture and tourism. The main transportation corridors are I-84 , U.S. Route 395 , U.S. Route 97 , U.S. Route 26 , U.S. Route 30 , and U.S. Route 20 . Compared to that of

2033-461: Is in this region of the state. Typical of a western state, Oregon is home to a unique and diverse array of wildlife. Roughly 60 percent of the state is covered in forest, while the areas west of the Cascades are more densely populated by forest, making up around 80 percent of the landscape. Some 60 percent of Oregon's forests are within federal land. Oregon is the top timber producer of

2140-526: Is now allowed in Oregon, gas stations are not required to offer it and many currently do not. New Jersey is the only state remaining where self serve gas stations are not allowed. Oregon is 295 miles (475 km) north to south at longest distance, and 395 miles (636 km) east to west. With an area of 98,381 square miles (254,810 km ), Oregon is slightly larger than the United Kingdom . It

2247-730: Is one of North America's largest rivers, and one of two rivers to cut through the Cascades (the Klamath River in southern Oregon is the other). About 15,000 years ago, the Columbia repeatedly flooded much of Oregon during the Missoula Floods ; the modern fertility of the Willamette Valley is largely the result. Plentiful salmon made parts of the river, such as Celilo Falls , hubs of economic activity for thousands of years. Today, Oregon's landscape varies from rain forest in

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2354-487: Is probable some still move into eastern Oregon from Idaho. Oregon is home to what is considered the largest single organism in the world, an Armillaria solidipes fungus beneath the Malheur National Forest of eastern Oregon. Oregon has several National Park System sites , including Crater Lake National Park in the southern part of the Cascades, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument east of

2461-411: Is reliant on lumber, agriculture, natural resource extraction, health care, a prison and government. The area is also trying to promote itself for the many outdoor recreational and sightseeing opportunities offered. Lake County includes numerous cattle ranches. Irrigation has also permitted some agriculture based upon the raising of livestock and the growing of hay and grain despite the low rainfall and

2568-460: Is rounded down phonetically, from Ouve água —Oragua, Or-a-gon, Oregon—given probably by the same Portuguese navigator that named the Farallones after his first officer, and it literally, in a large way, means cascades: "Hear the waters." You should steam up the Columbia and hear and feel the waters falling out of the clouds of Mount Hood to understand entirely the full meaning of the name Ouve

2675-608: Is the largest ski resort in Eastern Oregon. Spout Springs , located in the Umatilla National Forest in the Blue Mountains, is popular with families. Rafting is often seasonal on the rivers that are snowpack-dependent and not dammed. The Owyhee River is an example of a desert canyon river experience. The Snake River offers boating experiences that range from a quiet drift through the desert to hair-raising thrills of class II to III+ rapids. Historically,

2782-532: Is the ninth largest state in the U.S. Oregon's highest point is the summit of Mount Hood, at 11,249 feet (3,429 m), and its lowest point is the sea level of the Pacific Ocean along the Oregon Coast. Oregon's mean elevation is 3,300 feet (1,006 m). Crater Lake National Park , the state's only national park, is the site of the deepest lake in the U.S. at 1,943 feet (592 m). Oregon claims

2889-463: Is the only Eastern Oregon county to have supported Democratic presidential nominees after Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 landslide, having voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976 and for Bill Clinton in 1996. In the 2012 presidential election , the Republican candidate Mitt Romney received at least 60% of the vote in every county in Eastern Oregon. The political divide between the eastern and western parts of

2996-484: Is the state's highest point. Oregon's only national park, Crater Lake National Park , comprises the caldera surrounding Crater Lake , the deepest lake in the U.S. The state is also home to the single largest organism in the world, Armillaria ostoyae , a fungus that runs beneath 2,200 acres (8.9 km ) of the Malheur National Forest . Oregon's economy has historically been powered by various forms of agriculture, fishing, logging, and hydroelectric power. Oregon

3103-606: Is the third-most populous city in Oregon, with 175,535 residents. Portland , with 652,503, ranks as the 26th among U.S. cities. The Portland metropolitan area , which includes neighboring counties in Washington, is the 25th largest metro area in the nation, with a population of 2,512,859. Oregon is also one of the most geographically diverse states in the U.S., marked by volcanoes, abundant bodies of water, dense evergreen and mixed forests, as well as high deserts and semi-arid shrublands . At 11,249 feet (3,429 m), Mount Hood

3210-605: Is the top lumber producer of the contiguous U.S. , with the lumber industry dominating the state's economy during the 20th century. Technology is another one of Oregon's major economic forces, beginning in the 1970s with the establishment of the Silicon Forest and the expansion of Tektronix and Intel . Sportswear company Nike, Inc. , headquartered in Beaverton , is the state's largest public corporation with an annual revenue of $ 46.7 billion. The origin of

3317-562: The -sint below, so there appeared to be a river flowing to the west named " Ouaricon ". According to the Oregon Tourism Commission , present-day Oregonians / ˌ ɒr ɪ ˈ ɡ oʊ n i ə n z / pronounce the state's name as "or-uh-gun, never or-ee-gone". After being drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2002, former Oregon Ducks quarterback Joey Harrington distributed "Orygun" stickers to members of

Eastern Oregon - Misplaced Pages Continue

3424-555: The 2020 census , the population was 8,160. Its county seat is Lakeview . The county is named after the many lakes found within its boundaries, including Lake Abert , Summer Lake , Hart Lake , and Goose Lake . Lake County is in the high desert region known as the Oregon Outback , on the northwestern edge of the Great Basin . The county is generally divided between the communities around Lakeview and Paisley to

3531-596: The Alvord Desert , Owyhee Desert , Warner Valley , Deschutes River , Owyhee River , Grande Ronde River , Joseph Canyon , The Honeycombs , and Malheur Butte . According to the Eastern Oregon Visitors Association, Eastern Oregon includes only the following eight counties: Morrow , Umatilla , Union , Wallowa , Grant , Baker , Harney , and Malheur . The association divides the eight-county definition into three subregions:

3638-628: The Blue Mountains . The region's economy is primarily agricultural . Timber and mining , while formerly key industries, have decreased in importance in recent years. Cultural tourism , agritourism and ecotourism continue to develop. The wheat growing region of Eastern Oregon includes the Columbia Plateau portion of northeastern Oregon, which begins with very marginal wheat fields in central Wasco County and extends east through Umatilla County. Its rich loess soils "help make

3745-479: The Cascade Range . Pine and juniper forests cover 35% of Eastern Oregon, much in the mountains that include the Blue Mountains , Strawberry Mountains , Wallowa Mountains , Trout Creek Mountains , Ochoco Mountains , and Steens Mountain . Volcanic basalt flows from the Columbia River Basalt Group covered large sections of Eastern Oregon 6 to 17 million years ago. Other landforms include

3852-660: The Columbia Plateau , the High Desert , and the Blue Mountains . Oregon lies in two time zones . Most of Malheur County is in the Mountain Time Zone , while the rest of the state lies in the Pacific Time Zone . Western Oregon's mountainous regions, home to three of the most prominent mountain peaks of the U.S. including Mount Hood, were formed by the volcanic activity of the Juan de Fuca Plate ,

3959-523: The Columbia River in Umatilla . Other major east–west routes include U.S. Route 26 , U.S. Route 30 , U.S. Route 20 and U.S. Route 730 . U.S. Route 395 is a major north–south route, passing through Pendleton , Burns , John Day , and Lakeview . Further west, U.S. Route 97 runs north and south from the California border through Klamath Falls , Bend , and Redmond to Biggs Junction on

4066-651: The Columbia River . 44°10′56″N 118°39′08″W  /  44.182204°N 118.652344°W  / 44.182204; -118.652344 Oregon Oregon ( / ˈ ɒr ɪ ɡ ən , - ɡ ɒ n / ORR -ih-ghən , -⁠gon ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S. , with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington , while

4173-648: The D River as the shortest river in the world, though the state of Montana makes the same claim of its Roe River . Oregon is also home to Mill Ends Park (in Portland), the smallest park in the world at 452 square inches (0.29 m ). Oregon is split into eight geographical regions. In Western Oregon : Oregon Coast (west of the Coast Range ), the Willamette Valley, Rogue Valley , Cascade Range and Klamath Mountains ; and in Central and Eastern Oregon :

4280-570: The Fremont National Forest of the Fremont–Winema National Forests . The Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge includes big-horn sheep , pronghorn , sage grouse , predatory birds and migratory birds. The Lake County Examiner is located in Lakeview and has been published continuously since the late 19th century. School districts include: The Adel and Plush districts share students, with Plush taking

4387-934: The Kingdom of Great Britain . The term referred to the then-mythical River of the West (the Columbia River). By 1778, the spelling had shifted to Oregon . Rogers wrote: ...   from the Great Lakes towards the Head of the Mississippi, and from thence to the River called by the Indians Ouragon   ... One suggestion is that this name comes from the French word ouragan ("windstorm" or "hurricane"), which

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4494-597: The Lewis and Clark and Astor Expeditions. Few stayed permanently such as Étienne Lussier, often referred to as the first "European" farmer in the state of Oregon. Evidence of the French Canadian presence can be found in numerous names of French origin such as Malheur Lake , the Malheur , Grande Ronde , and Deschutes Rivers , and the city of La Grande . Furthermore, many of the early pioneers first came out West with

4601-763: The North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company before heading South of the Columbia for better farmland as the fur trade declined. French Prairie by the Willamette River and French Settlement by the Umpqua River are known as early mixed ancestry settlements. The Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled through northern Oregon also in search of the Northwest Passage . They built their winter fort in 1805–1806 at Fort Clatsop , near

4708-841: The Oregon Short Line was completed across southern Idaho and met the OR&;N at Huntington , providing rail service that essentially paralleled the Oregon Trail all the way from Omaha, Nebraska. Later the OR&N became part of the Union Pacific Railway . The only other railroad ever built east over the Cascade Mountains was trackage that was to become part of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company , which

4815-555: The Oregon Steam Navigation Company whose operations included building a rail bypass from The Dalles to Celilo Falls . In 1880 these two short sections of rail were incorporated into the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company (OR&N). Shortly thereafter Henry Villard , who then controlled OR&N, moved aggressively to block entry of the then under construction Northern Pacific Railway into

4922-737: The Paisley Caves in northern Lake County in 2007 have been radiocarbon dated to 14,300 calendar years before present. DNA extracted from these human remains bears certain genetic markers found only in Native American populations. Luther Cressman found prehistoric artifacts in the Fort Rock Caves of northern Lake County in 1938, including basketry, stone tools, and a cache of woven sagebrush bark sandals which have been dated to more than 10,000 years ago. European traders, explorers and military expeditions arrived in

5029-568: The Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho . The 42° north parallel delineates the southern boundary with California and Nevada . The western boundary is formed by the Pacific Ocean . Oregon has been home to many indigenous nations for thousands of years. The first European traders, explorers, and settlers began exploring what is now Oregon's Pacific coast in the early to mid-16th century. As early as 1564,

5136-532: The Snake River Valley , including the city of Ontario, is part of the Treasure Valley , which extends east to Boise, Idaho . Unlike the rest of the state, that section lies within the Mountain Time Zone . Sacajawea Peak is the region's highest mountain. Although Oregon as a whole is generally considered a blue state , Eastern Oregon is far more conservative than the west. Morrow County

5243-704: The Spanish began sending vessels northeast from the Philippines , riding the Kuroshio Current in a sweeping circular route across the northern part of the Pacific. In 1592, Juan de Fuca undertook detailed mapping and studies of ocean currents in the Pacific Northwest, including the Oregon coast as well as the strait now bearing his name. The Lewis and Clark Expedition traversed Oregon in

5350-432: The forced relocation of the native population to Indian reservations in Oregon . The first Oregon proposition for a railroad in Oregon was made in 1850 by H. M. Knighton, the original owner of the townsite of St. Helens . Knighton asserted that this would fulfill his township's belief that it should be the supreme metropolitan seaport in that area upon the Columbia River, as opposed to Portland. He suggested building

5457-465: The last glacial period and filled the valley with 300 to 400 feet (91 to 122 m) of water. By the 16th century, Oregon was home to many Native American groups, including the Chinook , Coquille (Ko-Kwell), Bannock , Kalapuya , Klamath , Klickitat , Molala , Nez Perce , Shasta , Takelma , Umatilla , and Umpqua . The first Europeans to visit Oregon were Spanish explorers led by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo , who sighted southern Oregon off

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5564-421: The western part of the state, the climate of Eastern Oregon has a drier continental climate, with much greater seasonal variations in temperature. Unlike the Willamette Valley , Eastern Oregon receives a significant amount of snow in the winter. Some areas receive fewer than 10 inches (250 mm) of rain yearly, classifying them as deserts . This desert climate is in part due to a rain shadow effect caused by

5671-470: The 1840s and 1850s the county was part of the military courier route between The Dalles on the Columbia River and the Presidio in San Francisco . The county acquired a railroad connection in the 1890s. That railroad spur, the Nevada–California–Oregon Railway line running from Lakeview to Reno, Nevada , emphasized the isolation of the county from the rest of Oregon. A devastating fire in 1900 destroyed much of Lakeview, including 75 businesses. During

5778-404: The 3,378 households, 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.4% were non-families, and 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.73. The median age was 47.4 years. The median income for a household in

5885-526: The California border. Lake County has six other peaks with elevations above 8,000 feet (2,400 m), all located in the southern half of the county. Hager Mountain is the highest peak in the northern part of the county. The area includes alkali lakes , high desert scrub, and forests of Western Juniper , Ponderosa Pine , and Lodgepole Pine in the hills and mountains. There are also several unusual geologic features and good areas for rockhounding and geological touring. Lost Forest Research Natural Area

5992-414: The Cascades, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park on the north coast, and Oregon Caves National Monument near the south coast. Other areas that were considered for potential national park status in the 20th century include the southern Oregon Coast, Mount Hood, and Hells Canyon to the east. Lake County, Oregon Lake County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon . As of

6099-429: The Coast Range to barren desert in the southeast, which still meets the technical definition of a frontier . Oregon's geographical center is further west than any of the other 48 contiguous states (although the westernmost point of the lower 48 states is in Washington). Central Oregon 's geographical features range from high desert and volcanic rock formations resulting from lava beds . The Oregon Badlands Wilderness

6206-415: The Columbia Gorge. In an agreement first made in March 1880 and formalized in the fall of 1880, the Northern Pacific Railway, then controlled by Frederick Billings , and the OR&N, at that time controlled by Henry Villard, agreed to divide the Columbia Plateau at the Snake River , with the Northern Pacific staying to the north and the OR&N staying to the south. Northern Pacific was not to build down

6313-495: The Columbia Plateau one of the premier wheat-producing regions in the world." South of the wheat lands of northeast Oregon, agricultural activity is generally limited to livestock grazing except where irrigation is available. Irrigated areas are often used to produce alfalfa hay. From the high desert to the rugged mountainous areas of the Eagle Cap Wilderness area, Eastern Oregon has a range of outdoor recreational opportunities such as skiing, rafting, and hiking. Anthony Lakes

6420-564: The Columbia River Plateau (Morrow and Umatilla counties); northeast Oregon (Baker, Union, and Wallowa counties); and southeast Oregon (Grant, Harney, and Malheur counties). Some definitions of the region are more restrictive, while others include the base eight counties listed above plus several adjacent counties. Still others include the entire area east of the Cascade Range; this meaning would also include Sherman , Crook , Deschutes , Gilliam , Jefferson , Klamath , Lake , Wasco , and Wheeler counties. The extreme eastern section of Oregon in

6527-421: The Hudson's Bay Company, reversed the Hudson's Bay Company's long-standing policy of discouraging settlement because it interfered with the lucrative fur trade. He directed that some 200 Red River Colony settlers be relocated to HBC farms near Fort Vancouver, (the James Sinclair expedition), in an attempt to hold Columbia District. Starting in 1842–1843, the Oregon Trail brought many new American settlers to

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6634-821: The Lost Forest, Crack-in-the-ground, and Hole-in-the-ground Oregon sunstones are found north of Plush . The Oregon sunstone is Oregon's state gemstone . Glass Buttes are high desert mountains in northeastern Lake County named for the large deposits of obsidian found on their slopes. This is a favorite collecting area for rockhounds . Other areas of interest include, Abert Lake and Abert Rim , Goose Lake , Hunter's Hot Springs and its Old Perpetual Geyser , Schminck Memorial Museum and Lake County Museum , Lake County Round-Up Museum, Schmink Museum, Warner Canyon ski area, Gearhart Mountain Wilderness , Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge , Summer Lake Hot Springs , sunstones (Oregon's state gemstone ) near Plush , Warner Wetlands , Summer Lake Wildlife Area and sections of

6741-418: The Oregon Country. Oregon's boundaries were disputed for a time, contributing to tensions between the U.K. and the U.S., but the border was defined peacefully in the 1846 Oregon Treaty . The border between the U.S. and British North America was set at the 49th parallel . The Oregon Territory was officially organized on August 13, 1848. Settlement increased with the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 and

6848-534: The Pacific Northwest was particularly affected by the 1973 oil crisis , with Oregon suffering a substantial shortage. In 1972, the Oregon Beverage Container Act of 1971, popularly called the Bottle Bill, became the first law of its kind in the United States. The Bottle Bill system in Oregon was created to control litter. In practice, the system promotes recycling, not reusing, and the collected containers are generally destroyed and made into new containers. Ten states currently have similar laws. In 1994, Oregon became

6955-562: The Pacific coast in 1543. Sailing from Central America on the Golden Hind in 1579 in search of the Strait of Anian during his circumnavigation of the Earth , the English explorer and privateer Sir Francis Drake briefly anchored at South Cove, Cape Arago , just south of Coos Bay , before sailing for what is now California. Martín de Aguilar , continuing separately from Sebastián Vizcaíno 's scouting of California, reached as far north as Cape Blanco and possibly to Coos Bay in 1603. Exploration continued routinely in 1774, starting with

7062-407: The West, although the periodic fluctuations in the U.S. building industry have hurt the state's economy on multiple occasions. Portland, in particular, experienced a population boom between 1900 and 1930, tripling in size; the arrival of World War II also provided the northwest region of the state with an industrial boom, where Liberty ships and aircraft carriers were constructed. During the 1970s,

7169-448: The abundance of fur-bearing animals in the area. Also in 1811, New Yorker John Jacob Astor financed the establishment of Fort Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River as a western outpost to his Pacific Fur Company ; this was the first permanent European settlement in Oregon. In the War of 1812 , the British gained control of all Pacific Fur Company posts. The Treaty of 1818 established joint British and American occupancy of

7276-439: The area. They also reported being attacked by Indians. In 1838, Colonel J. J. Abert , a U.S. engineer, prepared a map that includes Warner Lakes and other natural features using information from the Hudson Bay trappers. In 1843, John C. Fremont led a party which named Christmas (Hart) Lake . Lake County once hosted significant populations of Basque and Irish sheepherders . Disputes over grazing rights , exacerbated by

7383-438: The arrival of homesteaders, but the dry climate made for challenging development. Lake County was created from Jackson and Wasco Counties on October 24, 1874, by the State Legislature. It then included the present Klamath County and all of the present Lake County except Warner Valley . In 1882, land was assigned to create Klamath County, and in 1885 the Warner area from Grant County was added. Linkville, now Klamath Falls,

7490-577: The country. Government employment for the national forest and the regional Bureau of Land Management headquarters provides many of the higher salary jobs in an economy that otherwise would have to rely on seasonal agricultural, tourism and lumber jobs. The Bureau of Land Management is landowner of 49% of the lands within the county. Tourism is a growing industry because of the county's many attractions which include Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge , Hunter's Hot Springs, Goose Lake, Warner Canyon , hanggliding and areas for rock hunting. Lake County

7597-413: The county has a total area of 8,358 square miles (21,650 km ), of which 8,139 square miles (21,080 km ) is land and 219 square miles (570 km ) (2.6%) is water. It is the third-largest county in Oregon. Lake County ranges in elevation from 4,130 to 8,446 feet (1,259 to 2,574 m). The highest point in Lake County is Crane Mountain . The mountain is located 6 miles (9.7 km) north of

7704-442: The county was $ 41,105 and the median income for a family was $ 47,188. Males had a median income of $ 39,435 versus $ 26,000 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 22,586. About 13.1% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 27.4% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2000 census , there were 7,422 people, 3,084 households, and 2,152 families residing in

7811-407: The county. The population density was 1 person per square mile (0.39 person/km ). There were 3,999 housing units at an average density of 0 units per square mile (0/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 90.97% White , 0.13% Black or African American , 2.37% Native American , 0.71% Asian , 0.13% Pacific Islander , 3.19% from other races , and 2.48% from two or more races. 5.44% of

7918-517: The dates range scientists believed that humans inhabited the far west from 4,000 years ago. Several subsequent discoveries of even older sandals in the northern Great Basin confirmed the importance of archaeologist Luther Cressman 's work. For this find, and for other research that broke down standing theories about the nature of the prehistoric Northwest, Cressman became known as the father of Oregon archaeology. Other sights in North Lake include

8025-594: The early 1800s, and the first permanent European settlements in Oregon were established by fur trappers and traders. In 1843, an autonomous government was formed in the Oregon Country , and the Oregon Territory was created in 1848. Oregon became the 33rd state of the U.S. on February 14, 1859. Today, with 4.2 million people over 98,000 square miles (250,000 km ), Oregon is the ninth largest and 27th most populous U.S. state. The capital, Salem ,

8132-556: The eastern side of the state. The majority of registered voters who are part of a political party in Lake County, as well as most counties in eastern Oregon, are members of the Republican Party . Since 2000, Republican nominees for president have always won over 70 percent of Lake County’s votes. In the 2008 presidential election , 71.53% of Lake County voters voted for Republican John McCain , while 25.95% voted for Democrat Barack Obama and 1.53% of voters either voted for

8239-473: The expedition of the frigate Santiago by Juan José Pérez Hernández , and the coast of Oregon became a valuable trade route to Asia. In 1778, British captain James Cook also explored the coast. French Canadians , Scots , Métis , and other continental natives (e.g. Iroquois ) trappers arrived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, soon to be followed by Catholic clergy. Some traveled as members of

8346-499: The first U.S. state to legalize physician-assisted suicide through the Oregon Death with Dignity Act . A measure to legalize recreational use of marijuana in Oregon was approved on November 4, 2014, making Oregon only the second state at the time to have legalized gay marriage , physician-assisted suicide, and recreational marijuana. Self service gasoline was banned in Oregon from 1951 until August 2023. Although self-serve

8453-546: The gorge into Portland , but would receive trackage rights on the tracks that OR&N was building on the south bank into Portland. The first St. Paul-Portland Northern Pacific train arrived in Portland on September 12, 1883, via OR&N trackage down the Oregon side of the Columbia River from Wallula, Washington forever ending the isolation of at least the northern portion of Eastern Oregon. A year later in November 1884,

8560-487: The growth of railroads expanded the state's lumber , wheat , and other agricultural markets, and the rapid growth of its cities. Due to the abundance of timber and waterway access via the Willamette River, Portland became a major force in the lumber industry of the Pacific Northwest , and quickly became the state's largest city. It would earn the nickname "Stumptown", and would later become recognized as one of

8667-652: The introduction of wheat farming , led to the eruption of range wars between cattle ranchers and sheep herders. At least one band of masked rifle -armed cattlemen killed sheep in the northern part of the county and in Deschutes County during the early 20th century and they came to be known as "sheepshooters". According to the Oregon History Project, 2,300 sheep were killed in a single night in April 1904 in Lake County. Lake County grew with

8774-494: The issue of joining Idaho, the state located east of Oregon. It was initiated by the group "Move Oregon's Border for a Greater Idaho", who support the Greater Idaho movement. As of May 2022, eight counties had voted to direct their County Commissioners to examine the issue further. Some counties, such as Douglas and Josephine , had voted against joining the coalition. By November, three more counties in Eastern Oregon, for

8881-428: The largest population centers east of the Cascade Range : Bend , Redmond , and Klamath Falls . However, these lie outside the stricter boundary. Compared to the maritime rainforest climate of Western Oregon , which is adjacent to the Pacific Ocean , the climate of Eastern Oregon is a drier continental climate, with much greater seasonal variations in temperature. Unlike the Willamette Valley, Eastern Oregon gets

8988-496: The lower 48 states. Moose have not always inhabited the state but came to Oregon in the 1960s; the Wallowa Valley herd numbered about 60 as of 2013 . Gray wolves were extirpated from Oregon around 1930 but have since found their way back; most reside in northeast Oregon, with two packs living in the south-central part. Although their existence in Oregon is unconfirmed, reports of grizzly bears still turn up, and it

9095-546: The media as a reminder of how to pronounce the name of his home state. The stickers are sold by the University of Oregon Bookstore . While there is considerable evidence that Paleo-Indians inhabited the region, the oldest evidence of habitation in Oregon was found at Fort Rock Cave and the Paisley Caves in Lake County . Archaeologist Luther Cressman dated material from Fort Rock to 13,200 years ago, and there

9202-477: The most dangerous port cities in the United States due to racketeering and illegal activities at the turn of the 20th century. In 1902, Oregon introduced direct legislation by the state's citizens through initiatives and referendums , known as the Oregon System . On May 5, 1945, six civilians were killed by a Japanese balloon bomb that exploded on Gearhart Mountain near Bly . They remained

9309-595: The mouth of the Columbia River, staying at the encampment from December until March. British explorer David Thompson also conducted overland exploration. In 1811, while working for the North West Company, Thompson became the first European to navigate the entire Columbia River. Stopping on the way, at the junction of the Snake River, he posted a claim to the region for Great Britain and the North West Company. Upon returning to Montreal , he publicized

9416-489: The northwestern part of the county. The southern portion of the county was designated as a dark-sky preserve by DarkSky International in 2024. These twelve watersheds occur in whole or in part within Lake County: Named lakes wholly or partly in Lake County include: As of the 2010 census , there were 7,895 people, 3,378 households, and 2,148 families residing in the county. The population density

9523-539: The only people on American soil whose deaths were attributed to an enemy balloon bomb explosion during World War II . The bombing site is now located in the Mitchell Recreation Area . Industrial expansion began in earnest following the 1933–1937 construction of the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. Hydroelectric power , food, and lumber provided by Oregon helped fuel the development of

9630-553: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.1% were of Irish , 14.0% United States or American, 13.8% German and 11.8% English ancestry. 95.9% spoke English and 3.6% Spanish as their first language. There were 3,084 households, out of which 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.20% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who

9737-410: The region after the law was passed were forced to leave, and those who did not comply were arrested and beaten. They received no less than twenty and no more than thirty-nine stripes across the back if they still did not leave. This process could be repeated every six months. Slavery played a major part in Oregon's history and even influenced its path to statehood. The territory's request for statehood

9844-639: The region during the early part of the 19th century. Peter Skene Ogden led Hudson's Bay Company trappers to Goose Lake in 1827. In 1832, the Hudson Bay trappers under John Work were in the Goose Lake Valley and their journals mentioned Hunter's Hot Springs . Work's expedition visited Warner Lakes and Lake Abert and camped at Crooked Creek in the Chandler Park area. There they documented eating wild plums , which still grow in

9951-508: The region has been relatively isolated from Western Oregon , due to the difficulty of crossing the Cascades. Early settlers floated down the Columbia River from The Dalles to reach Western Oregon. In 1845, Sam Barlow built a road around the south side of Mount Hood , which served as the final leg of the Oregon Trail . The Applegate Trail and Santiam Wagon Road were constructed soon after, connecting eastern and western Oregon in

10058-637: The region west of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. By the 1820s and 1830s, the Hudson's Bay Company dominated the Pacific Northwest from its Columbia District headquarters at Fort Vancouver (built in 1825 by the district's chief factor, John McLoughlin , across the Columbia from present-day Portland ). In 1841, the expert trapper and entrepreneur Ewing Young died leaving considerable wealth and no apparent heir, and no system to probate his estate. A meeting followed Young's funeral, at which

10165-515: The south and the communities around Christmas Valley , Fort Rock , and Silver Lake to the north. Its economy consists largely of agriculture and natural resource management and extraction. It is home to many large cattle ranches, hay farms, and timber holdings (both public and private), as well as several frontier towns and early 20th-century homesteads . Although lumber was once a primary economic driver in Lake County, today only one mill remains, at Lakeview. Pre-Clovis era coprolites found in

10272-641: The southern and central parts of the state. In the early 20th century, Samuel Hill built the Columbia River Highway , allowing automobiles to pass through the Columbia River Gorge . Railroads began to be important as early as 1858 with the construction of the Oregon Portage Railroad which built a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) bypass around the rapids at Cascade Locks . This was followed by the 1862 incorporation of

10379-575: The state has led some residents of Eastern Oregon to claim that the state of Oregon, with the majority of its population and political control based in the west of the Cascade Range , has neglected the eastern part of the state, preventing it from developing along with the western part. A movement to have Eastern Oregon secede and join the United States as a 51st state was underway in 2008. In 2021, five counties in Eastern Oregon voted to direct their County Commissioners to hold annual hearings on

10486-421: The state's name is uncertain. The earliest geographical designation "orejón" (meaning "big ear") comes from the Spanish historical chronicle Relación de la Alta y Baja California (1598), written by Rodrigo Montezuma of New Spain ; here it refers to the region of the Columbia River as it was encountered by the first Spanish scouts. The " j " in the Spanish phrase " El Orejón " was eventually corrupted into

10593-571: The summer of 2012, two wildfires burned large areas of Lake County. Both fires were the result of lightning strikes. The Lava Fire burned over 21,500 acres (87 km ) of public rangeland and scrub forest in and around lava beds north of Fort Rock. The Barry Point Fire burned 92,977 acres (376.26 km ) of public and private forest land along the California border. According to the United States Census Bureau ,

10700-578: The water is re-injected back into the ground. Two prisoners briefly escaped in 2008. North Lake County includes many geological sites including the Fort Rock , a crater marked by wave activity in what was once an ice age lake bed, and the Fort Rock Homestead Village Museum. It's also a site where camel bones and Native American artifacts have been uncovered. The "world's oldest shoes" were found here in 1938, changing

10807-514: Was 1.0 inhabitant per square mile (0.39/km ). There were 4,439 housing units at an average density of 0.5 per square mile (0.19/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 90.3% white, 2.1% American Indian, 0.7% Asian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.1% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.9% were German , 19.3% were Irish , 19.2% were English , and 5.1% were American . Of

10914-458: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.84. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.90% under the age of 18, 5.10% from 18 to 24, 24.30% from 25 to 44, 28.10% from 45 to 64, and 17.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 100.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.30 males. The median income for

11021-724: Was applied to the River of the West based on Native American tales of powerful Chinook winds on the lower Columbia River, or perhaps from first-hand French experience with the Chinook winds of the Great Plains . At the time, the River of the West was thought to rise in western Minnesota and flow west through the Great Plains. Another suggestion comes from Joaquin Miller , who wrote in Sunset magazine in 1904: The name, Oregon,

11128-574: Was delayed several times, as members of Congress argued among themselves whether the territory should be admitted as a "free" or "slave" state. Eventually politicians from the South agreed to allow Oregon to enter as a "free" state, in exchange for opening slavery to the Southwestern U.S. Oregon was admitted to the Union on February 14, 1859, though no one in Oregon knew it until March 15. Founded as

11235-440: Was opened in 1926 over Willamette Pass to Klamath Falls to bypass the difficult line south of Eugene to Ashland . All-weather highways over the Cascade Mountains were not completed until the 1930s and 1940s. Major road routes through eastern Oregon include I-84 from Ontario to the Columbia River Gorge . The only other interstate freeway in the region is an eleven-mile (18 km) stretch of Interstate 82 that ends at

11342-438: Was the first acting public government of the Oregon Country before annexation by the government of the United States. It was succeeded by a Second Executive Committee, made up of Peter G. Stewart , Osborne Russell , and William J. Bailey , and this committee was itself succeeded by George Abernethy , who was the first and only Governor of Oregon under the provisional government. Also in 1841, Sir George Simpson , governor of

11449-618: Was the first county seat. M. Bullard gave 20 acres (81,000 m ) as the Lakeview townsite. By the 1875 election, a town had been started and an election moved the county seat to Lakeview. Because of poor transportation connections with the rest of Oregon, the early economic orientation of Lake County was toward California : both the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Examiner arrived in Lakeview daily, often before The Oregonian . During

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